The St. Louis Cardinals travel to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Brewers with both teams tied atop the National League Central. The Cards dropped two of three on the road to the Boston Red Sox, while Milwaukee swept three at home against Cincinnati. Now, these teams will face off for four games starting Monday.
Who is taking the first game of this crucial series? Find out what we think in our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Cardinals vs. Brewers on June 20.
Cardinals vs Brewers odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The home team Brewers opened as a -154 favorite and the line has moved to -159, while the Cardinals started +140 and have moved down to +130. The total opened at seven and has moved to 7.5, with the over and under at -110 at most sportsbooks.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Cardinals vs Brewers predictions
- Prediction: Cardinals ML (+141)
- Prediction: Over 7.5 (-115)
- Best bet: Narvaez to record 2+ hits (+270)
Picks made on 6/20/2022 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cardinals vs Brewers game info
• Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
• Date: Monday, June 20, 2022
• First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1, Bally Sports
Cardinals vs Brewers betting preview
Starting pitchers
Miles Mikolas (5-4, 2.62 ERA): Mikolas has faced the Brewers twice this season with very different outcomes. The first time was on the road in April. The 33-year-old right-hander went 6 2-3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out seven. It was his first win of the season. The second appearance was at home on May 29 and he got lit up like a pinball machine. Mikolas went 5 2-3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits, and got the loss. It was the most runs, and the most hits, he has allowed in a game this year.
Corbin Burnes (4-4, 2.52 ERA): The reigning Cy Young Award winner has squared off with the Cardinals only once this season, but it was probably his best performance. The 27-year-old righty faced them on May 29 and Burnes went seven innings, shutting out St. Louis, and allowing just two hits while striking out 11.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cardinals: Yadier Molina C (Out), Jordan Hicks RP (Out), Tyler O’Neill (Questionable), Corey Dickerson LF (Out).
Brewers: Luis Urias 2B (Out), Kolten Wong 3B (Out), Mike Brosseau 3B (Out), Alex Jackson C (Out), Pedro Severino C (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 6-2 in their last eight meetings in Milwaukee. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Brewers
Cardinals vs Brewers picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The last time Corbin Burnes and Miles Mikolas faced each other was three weeks ago and it wasn’t pretty for the Cardinals. Burnes turned in one of his best pitching performances of the season, while Mikolas got shelled.
Mikolas gave up six earned runs, including home runs to Jace Peterson and Rowdy Tellez. Relief pitcher Nick Wittgren also gave up a two-run dinger to Lorenzo Cain, and catcher Omar Narvaez was a home run away from hitting for the cycle.
Since that shellacking, Mikolas has been mostly solid, picking up two wins. In his next start after the Cardinals’ loss, he pitched against the Cubs. He was a bit shaky, allowing four runs on eight hits, but managed to escape with the victory.
His last two starts have been much better. He went eight innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, with his only mistake being a two-run home run to Ji-Man Choi. In his last start, Mikolas went 8 2-3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one run on one hit.
Burnes has been less effective since his victory over the Cardinals. He has had three starts and in two of them, he couldn’t get to the fifth inning. In his last outing, he gave up two runs and five hits in six innings against the New York Mets.
It is a bit concerning that Burnes has allowed 10 runs in his last three starts, so I think Mikolas and the Cardinals come out ahead in Game 1.
Prediction: Cardinals moneyline (+141 at WynnBET)
Over/Under analysis
This game could be a flip of the last time Mikolas and Burnes met. The way the two have pitched lately, Mikolas could be the one shutting down Brewers’ bats.
Milwaukee’s offense has been solid lately, scoring four or more runs in its last five games. Of course, three of those were against the Cincinnati Reds, one of the worst teams in baseball. The Cardinals' recent outings have been more impressive. St. Louis scored four or more runs in its last five games, and three of those were against the Boston Red Sox.
The Redbirds are fourth in batting average at .256, fourth in hits with 597, fourth in runs with 331, and third in RBI with 315. The Brewers are 23rd in batting average at .233, 17th in hits with 529, 13th in runs with 299, and 11th in RBI with 291.
The trends for both teams lean heavily on the Over. For the Cardinals, the Over has hit in their last five games, and they are 5-1 in their last six against teams in the NL Central.
The Over for the Brewers is also 5-0 in their last five against a right-handed starter. Although Mikolas will do a better job on the mound, expect enough runs to get across the plate to reach this moderate total.
Prediction: Over 7.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Best bet
When these two teams last met on May 29, Brewers’ catcher Omar Narvaez torched the Cardinals, especially Mikolas. Narvaez had a double and triple off the righty, adding a single in the eighth off reliever Nick Wittgren.
Narvaez also went 2-for-4 in the other two games that he played in that series. In the first encounter between the two teams in April, Narvaez also had a game where he went 2-for-4.
The 30-year-old has the second-highest batting average among everyday players on the Brewers at .266. He is also fourth on the team in on-base percentage at .352.
Narvaez isn’t going to be confused with Christian Yelich and Rowdy Tellez, but batting at the end of the lineup definitely is an advantage for him.
While Mikolas will be focusing on Yelich and company, Narvaea might have another big game. He has proven he can get two hits in a game against this pitching crew, and at +270, I like the value in this bet.
Pick: Omar Narvaez to record 2+ hits (+270)
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